Yes I do have a high E furnace. In fact it was just installed this summer so do to legal restrictions that went into effect Jan07, it is 93+ efficient (plus a 2 stage)!! I am getting regular amounts on condensate now cause in my area the temp is ~30 deg F. Most of the condensate is comming from the exhaust PVC pipe that has to run up through my attic and out the side of the house. The temperature differential from the exhaust and 30 deg F caused heavy amounts of condensate to drip down and into my pump. Also, just to clarify all my condensate from the furnace drains into a pump with it's own reservoire. So, air pressure from the fan should be a non-issue. When the reservoire hits a certain treshold the pump kicks in and dump 50% of it's contents through a piece of clear flexible tubing. What I want to do is to run this pump discharge into a set of fittings to convert it up to 2" PVC. Afterwards it would run into a 2" P-trap and after this into the main 3" drain. I picked 2" because I current have an unused 2" Tee into the main that I was going to cap since I don't have a use for it. The only thing I'm wondering is if a condesate pump has enough pressure to push out all the water in a 2" trap. I'm thinking that couldn't happen....

That is a long list of questions so let me try to take them one at a time. ISLAND LOOP VENTS: An island loop vent may only serve one trap and must be on the upstream end of a branch line. Under no circumstances may an island loop vent be downstream of another fixture. An island loop vent is run as high as possible up under the counter top. The UPC & the IRC have rather dramatically different methods of creating an island loop vent. Under the IRC every structure is required to have a one "Main Vent" which must run undiminished in size from the building main drain up to the roof. After that is achieved any additional auxiliary vents may be reduced to 1/2 the diameter of the line they serve. The IRC will permit aux vents to terminate through the roof, in the attic space, through the wall under some very strict considerations or you may use an unlimited number of AAV's. The UPC does not require a main vent but the combined aggregate total cross sectional area of all vents must be equal to or greater than the cross sectional area of the building main drain. Under the UPC vents may be reduced in size but they must be sized by the DFU load they serve determined by table UPC T 7-5 Under the UPC ALL vents must terminate through the roof. (The UPC will allow a maximum of 1 AAV with the expressed written permission of the local authority having jurisdiction) I would totally agree with you that the laws of physics are just that, firm laws that cannot be violated without dire consequences however in order to understand the different approaches you have to take the whole picture into account. Where one code seems a bit confining on one point it is because of how they achieve another point, but in the end the final balance works out the same. Fortunately for me I originally studied under the UPC which is by far the most confining of all the codes, therefore when i later had to branch into the IRC I found it very easy. Under the IRC the maximum length of an unvented fixture arm can be computed by dividing the diameter of the pipe by the pitch. By example, an 1-1/2" line with a 1/4"per ft pitch may run 1.5 / .25 = 5'. The UPC begins with basically the same formula but they then derate the length of the line by approximately 40% and the UPC has a published table of maximum lengths. Under the UPC a 3" line serving a watercloset must have a vent within 8' of the watercloset. The intent is to insure an adequate supply of vent air to prevent a negative air pressure behind the flow which would retard the velocity of flow. Now here I am sure I am about to open a can of worms that will no doubt cause contention for days to come. When a drain line is sized correctly by the DFU method the line should be 1/2full of liquid under full rated load. This insures that there is a sufficient level of liquid to convey any solids that might be present in the line while still allowing an ample area for the free transfer of vent air above the liquid. Back in the day of the 3.5 or 5gpf waterclosets it was common to use 4" lines for a watercloset waste arm. When the 1.6gpf waterclosets first came on the scene they had tremendious problems with lines continually clogging up. It was soon realized that the 1.6gpf flush did not supply enough water to maintain a sufficient depth to convey large solids and as a result the fecal matter was left laying in the pipe as the liquids flowed around it. In order to compensate for that problem it is now the code standard to use 3" pipe for all waterclosets with a 1.6gpf. The pipe is still large enough to convey the solids but it is small enough to insure a good depth of liquid in the line during flow, yet still maintain an adequate air space above the liquid. Now here is the catch 22 that can actually work in our favor. When considering a sink or tub we must insure a good supply of vent air in the line prevent a syphon action that could suck the water out of the fixture trap. This is why they have now outlawed S-traps. On the other hand a watercloset functions because it has an S-trap built into the base of the bowl. The water from the tank is quickly discharged into the bowl thereby raising the water level over the top of the trap in a large slug that completely fills the trapway in the bowl. In fact, some watersavers actually have a flow restrictor in the base to insure the slug action. In this manner a watercloset creates a syphon action which will then lift the remaining water and suspended solids up and over the trap and into the drain line. Tests have shown that if the fixture arm is too short the vent air in the drain line will interrupt the syphon actioni too quickly and it results in a partial flush. Which accounts for why so many people have had a bad experience with water saver toilets. The IRC recognizes that a water saver requires a strong syphon action, therefore they will permit an unlimited length of the watercloset fixture arm, and in truth, within reason, a longer fixture arm actually results in a better flushing action. In my house I have the $99 el cheapo water savers on a 15' 3" line and while some manufacturers say their waterclosets will flush 12 golf balls, my cheapo's will flush 12 golf balls while they are still in the box.....LOL. In regards to looking at your plans. For want of another method I would invite you to send me an email and i will respond my snail mail address. You could send a print and i will work it up for you.

That is not according to code. If that standpipe backs up there will be cross contamination between the sewer line and the softener. In many locales softener installs must be done by a licensed plumber. Is you installer a licensed plumber? I ask because he obviously does not know what an air gap to drain is The softener drain line must have an air gap to the drain. The way it is configured, If he had simply run the drain line up a couple inches then 90's it and 90'd it again so the line was in fee air above the standpipe he'd have had an air gap. Call him back and make him do it according to code or make him buy a nifty air gap from www.airgap.com.

I can't help you entirely with your questions, but I have a few comments: - most areas of this country no longer require an Air Gap, and haven't for years. I don't know specifically about Maine. - the Code requirements for an Air Gap have been mostly replaced by Code requirements for a "high loop" installation. That's because high loop works better than air gap for the purpose of making sure dirty dishwater doesn't back up into your sink. A "high loop" is a loop in the hose which is higher than the point where the hose connects to the sink drain. The idea here is to prevent waste water from flowing back into the dishwasher. - I recommend you post your questions on the Plumbing Forum. There are actual Master Plumbers there that can give you advice. Here is a link that might be useful: Gardenweb's Plumbing Forum